Odense claim hard-fought win at FTC; Brest cruise past Krim

In the only group A match, Gloria Bistria started their second season in the tournament with a victory, as they defeated Storhamar Handball Elite.

• similar to the previous season, Gloria Bistrita beat Storhamar Handball Elite by three goals on home court
• wing players Danila So Delgado Pinto (seven) and Asuka Fujita (eight) combined for 15 successful shots, more than half of Bistrita's goals
• Jakob Vestergaard won the duel of the Danish coaches, as his team Odense Håndbold claimed an away victory over Jesper Jensen's FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria
• HC Podravka, who started their 24th season in the premium club competition, proved too strong for debutants Sola HK
• Podravka's centre back Matea Pletikosic became the top scorer of the day, netting 13 times against Sola
• despite having just returned from chemotherapy, Camilla Herrem led Sola in their first EHF Champions League game and managed to find the net five times
• Brest Bretagne Handball took the biggest win of the day, beating Krim OTP Group Mercator with a 12-goal difference

GROUP A

Gloria Bistrita (ROU) vs Storhamar Handball Elite (NOR) 29:26 (15:12)
H2H: 2-0-2
Top scorers: Asuka Fujita 8/10 (Gloria Bistrita), Veronika Mala 7/8 (Storhamar Handball Elite)
 
Bistrita's previous win in the continental top flight dated back to January 2025, when they beat Storhamar at home, 31:28. After that, the Romanian side suffered five straight defeats and failed to reach the play-offs in their maiden EHF Champions League campaign. However, now Bistrita have more experience, and the opening victory proved that the team coached by Carlos Viver are looking to do better. Against Storhamar, right wing Asuka Fujita netted eight times, and left wing Danila So Delgado Pinto added seven more. Besides, goalkeeper Renata De Arruda recorded 14 saves, and she had a special impact in the first half, stopping 11 balls for a 48 per cent saving rate. Bistrita took early control, leading 6:2 in the sixth minute and 12:6 midway through the first half, and while Storhamar drew level at 17:17 just 10 minutes after the break, the hosts regained dominance and won by three goals.

GROUP B
 
FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria (HUN) vs Odense Håndbold (DEN) 32:34 (16:18)
H2H: 2-1-2
Top scorers: Emily Vogel 8/8 (FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria), Katrin Klujber 8/13 (FTC-Rail Cargo Hungaria), Ingvild Bakkerud 7/11 (Odense Håndbold)
 
Last season, Odense had the upper hand against FTC in the two very close EHF Champions League quarter-finals, and now the Danish team were the winners once again. Their goalkeeper Althea Reinhardt made a big contribution to the win with her 14 saves, while Ingvild Bakkerud stood out in attack, scoring seven goals. At FTC, Emily Vogel and Katrin Klujber combined for half of their team's goals (16), but their effort did not help to snatch any points. Odense were dominant for most of the match, with their biggest lead reaching four goals on a few occasions. In the 49th minute, they were up 29:26, but then Nikita van der Vliet received a red card following a third two-minute suspension, and FTC enjoyed a 3:0 run to draw level. The visitors pulled in front again, but the last minutes were very tense — after Daria Dmitrieva missed a chance to equalise with 45 seconds to play, Bakkerud sealed Odense's hard-fought win.

HC Podravka (CRO) vs Sola HK (NOR) 31:26 (15:11)
H2H: 1-0-2
Top scorers: Matea Pletikosic 13/17 (HC Podravka), Kristiane Knutsen 6/9 (Sola HK)
 
While Sola HK had won both previous mutual encounters in the EHF European League Women, now the teams faced off in the top flight, where Podravka have much more experience than the debutants from Norway. The Croatian team claimed a well-deserved victory, as they scored as many as 11 goals from penalty shots — in particular, their top scorer Matea Pletikosic netted nine of her 13 goals from a seven-metre line, also missing one attempt. The rivals were still level at 5:5 midway through the first half, but Podravka gradually gained control to create a four-goal gap at the break. In the second half, the Balkan team's lead reached eight goals (25:17) in the 48th minute, before Sola narrowed the gap in the closing minutes. Camilla Herrem returned to the court after chemotherapy and netted five times at her club's debut in the EHF Champions League.

Brest Bretagne Handball (FRA) vs Krim OTP Group Mercator (SLO) 32:20 (13:9)
H2H: 3-0-2
Top scorers: Onacia Ondono 6/7 (Brest Bretagne Handball), Annika Lott 6/7 (Brest Bretagne Handball), Ana Abina 4/7 (Krim OTP Group Mercator)
 
Good defence and free-flowing attack helped Brest to cruise past Krim with a 12-goal victory and claim two points at the start of the new EHF Champions League season. While line player Onacia Ondono and left back Annika Lott stood out with six goals each, they had a lot of support from their teammates — including summer signing Ana Gros, who netted three times against her former club. It was the Slovenian who handed the hosts their biggest lead in the first half, 13:9 in the 24th minute, as neither side managed to score in the remaining time before the break. In the second half, Brest improved their attacking efficiency, which helped them extend the gap, and the game was settled long before the final whistle.

Photos © Nasz Nikolett / Fradi.hu (main & in-text), Ivan Brkić / RK Podravka, BBH - Olivier Stephan, Bianca Sălăgean - WolfArt Agentia de SocialMedia (in-text)